what is the abbreviation 'IPO'?

什么是IPO(首次公开发行股票)
http://finance.sina.com.cn 2006年05月26日 15:30 新浪财经

　　IPO就是initial public offerings(首次公开发行股票)的简称。

　　首次公开招股是指一家私人企业第一次将它的股份向公众出售。通常，上市公司的股份是根据向相应证券会出具的招股书或登记声明中约定的条款通过经纪商或做市商进行销售。一般来说，一旦首次公开上市完成后，这家公司就可以申请到证券交易所或报价系统挂牌交易。

An initial public stock offering (IPO) referred to simply as an "offering" or "flotation," is when a company (called the issuer) issues common stock or shares to the public for the first time. They are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately-owned companies looking to become publicly traded.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initial_public_offering